Parañaque

Parañaque is a city with the third largest area in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. This city is situated in the southern part of Metro Manila, which is known for its laidback and relaxed atmosphere.

Before the coastal road was built, the beaches closest to Manila were in Parañaque. Local film producers and directors once used Aroma Beach Resort, El Faro beach, and Jale beach as movie settings and backdrops.

The city, being close to Manila Bay, used to be a prime producer of salt. Salt beds lined the coast and gave rise to the first few salt manufacturers in the region. Now, only one salt bed remains and can be found in Barangay Sto. Niño. Salt production is high in the summer, with an average of 100 sacks a month. During rainy seasons, the salt bed becomes a body of water where locals harvest shrimp, shellfish, and fish.

Parañaque is regularly visited by locals for it is home to the unique eats paradise along Aguirre Avenue in the residential village of BF Homes. Foodies can try anything from burgers slathered with Filipino-style barbecue sauce at the Burgery, to decadent cupcakes by Larcy’s Cupcakery Cafe.

For a dash of straight-from-the-market goodness, head to the Dampa Seafood Market and Restaurants, right next to the Fisherman’s Village. Visitors can choose a variety of freshly caught seafood that can be enjoyed on site or brought home.

Though Parañaque is a highly urbanized city, it can still charm the visitors of its old-world towns. One of the biggest churches in the city, Baclaran Church, can be found in Barangay La Huerta. This church holds the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, which receives up to 150,000 pilgrims every Wednesday. The church has been open day and night since 1958, making this a popular place for devotees to conduct all-day novenas.

Parañaque also shares a wildlife facility with its neighboring city, Las Piñas. The Las-Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area is a great place to spot rare birds like the pied avocet and black-winged stilts. The habitat was founded in 2004 and was listed by the Ramsar Convention as one of the Wetlands of International Importance.

Every February 13, Parañaque holds the Sunduan Festival. Derived from the Filipino word sundo, which means “to fetch,” the 18th century old custom started when past leaders of Barangay La Huerta went to fetch a female member of the comite de festejos (party and festival committee) with a marching band. This was so it would be difficult for her to refuse being appointed as the barangay’s next Hermana Mayor (head of the party and festival committee) .

Today, visitors and locals can watch or participate in the Sunduan Festival, where young men fetch young women from their homes to bring them to the St. Andrew’s Cathedral in La Huerta. The couples are then followed by marching bands and are given brightly colored parasols to shield the women from the rain or harsh sun. This custom quickly became a courtship ritual, aptly followed by Valentine’s the next day.